Suspects in Grisly Rape and Murder of Girl Killed on Day of 10th Birthday Party Plead Not Guilty

The three suspects arrested in connection to the vicious rape and murder of a New Mexico girl — including her own mother — have pleaded not guilty to all counts at their arraignments Friday.

Michelle Martens, 35, her 31-year-old boyfriend Fabian Gonzales and his 31-year-old cousin Jessica Kelley all face first-degree murder charges along with a slew of other charges in the death of Martens’ 10-year-old daughter, Victoria, authorities said.

Charges against the trio include intentional abuse of a child resulting in death and rape of a child under 13, KRQE reported.

Kelley was hit with 23 charges, while Gonzales faces 20 and Martens faces 19, according to reports.

Instead of celebrating her 10th birthday on August 24 with cake and manicures, police said Victoria spent the day being tortured, first injected with methamphetamine by Gonzales and Kelley “to calm her down” so the pair could sexually assault her, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Albuquerque Journal.

Her mother stood by as the attack went on and continued to do nothing as Gonzales allegedly strangled her and Kelley stabbed her before dismembering her body, the complaint said.

Martens told authorities she had set up encounters with at least three men to abuse her daughter before the little girl’s death, using the dating website Plenty of Fish to find men who would have sex with her children, according to search warrants obtained by the Journal.

Men may have also raped Victoria’s younger sibling as well, police said.

Gonzales and Kelley’s bonds were set at $1 million cash only, while Martens’ bond was set at $1.5 million cash only.